Smile
by xxbasementjaxx
Summary: Scorpius/Albus. Set in the future - all the kids are grown up. Harry's curious as to how Scorpius and Albus got together. Just a cute something.


**A/N: Set in the future, when Albus is about 40, and Harry is about 65.  
**

**This is just how I think Albus and Scorpius should meet, along with a bit of angst that Harry has over Ginny's death, and George over Fred's because I thought it was cute. Sorry if anyone thinks it really OOC, or really unbelievable, but I tried.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP  
**

* * *

Harry almost fell into the sofa by the fire due to his exhaustion. If Harry had been an average person, he would still have plenty of energy left and would still be drinking firewhiskey with the other party-goers and possibly making a fool of himself in his drunken state. But Harry was not the average person.

In all honesty, he wasn't bothered to socialize with all the people out there; there were just too many. He stared at the fire and tried to remember how many people were there.

Ron and all his brothers were there, along with their wives and children, and their grandchildren. Not to mention, some of those grandchildren had brought along fiancés. Years ago, Molly had extended the Burrow so it was at least the size of a small mansion, but there still didn't seem to be enough space for the eighty or so guests to move around.

Harry smiled to himself. Molly Weasley, the mother I never had, Harry thought. A few years back, Molly had died peacefully in her sleep, and Arthur had followed soon after.

Harry continued to gaze at the fire, although this time with a sad expression. Everybody comes and goes, he thought, but I never thought so soon, or so permanently.

Like his wife, Ginny. If he had gone with her instead of letting the other Aurors take care of her, she might still be alive. Or if he had arrived earlier the first time they attacked, they would never have attacked a second time, and Ginny would still be alive.

He shook his head. There was no point running about in circles blaming everything and everyone. It got him nowhere, and he had proved this in the months after Ginny had died.

He looked back at the fire again. He remembered that George used to do it too. Whenever they had reunions like these, George would also start fine before slowly deteriorating into a gloomy mess. Although, it hadn't taken him that long to get over the death of his twin, and he was soon back to his old self. How Harry wished it would be the same for him, but he could never believe that he would be able to let Ginny go.

It had been a while since Harry had seen George stare into the fire like he was, and he wondered if he had had similar thoughts of blame when he did it. He shrugged and looked at George sleeping on an armchair near him. His face was frowning and unhappy. Maybe he hadn't let go of Fred entirely, but he always covered himself up well.

"Hey, Dad." Albus entered the room and sat next to Harry. Harry smiled in response. Albus was one of his simple of children. No wife, no kids, no extra names to remember. Simple.

"I'm really, really glad that…" Albus seemed embarrassed and struggled to find what he wanted to say, "you're my dad."

Harry's eyebrows raised in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that. "And for what reason do I receive such a rare compliment?" He asked with a grin.

"I, well, um," he fumbled before starting again. "James was just having a go at me for being the only one not to have married."

Harry was silent for a moment and stared at Albus, who began to feel uncomfortable under his gaze. Then Harry burst out laughing. "Oh, Albus! Did you really come over to me just because James was teasing you?"

Albus' ears turned a little red and he looked at the carpet under the sofa to hide his embarrassment, not that Harry had any trouble seeing his ears. "Al, you're nearly forty years old! Do I really need to give James a scolding just because he was teasing you? He probably won't even remember it tomorrow morning!"

Albus merely stared at the floor again, and was about to get up and leave, had Harry not clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm just teasing you, Albus." He told him and smiled warmly at him.

Albus frowned in confusion at him. "James doesn't care if you're gay, Albus. He doesn't care if you and Malfoy are together, that doesn't change anything for him. You're still his little brother, who he can tease."

Albus smiled shyly at his father. "It's affectionate teasing. He would only tease you like that if you meant a lot to him, which you do."

Albus' smile grew wider. "Thanks. I… needed to hear that." He stopped for a moment before adding, "You're really understanding… and accepting."

Harry smiled at him. "I wouldn't say that to your aunt, Hermione, she'd only laugh." At Albus' questioning look, he elaborated. "At school, and after it, I wasn't known for my… social skills. Although Uncle Ron was worse."

They both laughed, as they both had had firsthand experience of Ron's social skills.

They sat in comfortable silence for a bit, when Harry asked, "How did you and Scorpius get together, anyway? I thought Uncle Ron had pretty much drilled it into your head that all Malfoys are evil, not to mention you were in opposing houses. How did you manage it?"

Albus grinned. "It's a funny story, actually."

* * *

Albus sat and glared out the window of his bedroom. His Hogwarts letter hadn't arrived, and James had almost constantly reminded him of that fact, along with the fact that he could be a squib. Although that was ridiculous, seeing as he had already shown signs of magic.

He heard his door creak open, and turned to find none other than the devil himself. "Get out of my room, James."

James put on a face of mock pain. "Ouch, so scathing!"

Albus didn't bother replying, and turned back to the window, determined to ignore James. He invited himself into his room anyway, and carefully shut the door behind him. He was planning for a big one, and he didn't want his parents to ruin it before it began.

"If you think I'm here to tease you about being in Slytherin, then you're wrong. Mainly because you're probably a squib, and you won't even go to Hogwarts…" Usually it took only that for Albus to spit out some kind of response, often to the amusement of James.

However, Albus was clenching the bed sheets very hard, and firmly glaring out of the window. He'd had enough of James.

James quickly changed tactic. He knew his brother inside out, and could easily pick something to annoy the hell out of him. "But you don't really care, do you?" James didn't wait for a response and continued. "I saw you and that muggle boy, Mark."

All three children had been sent to a muggle primary school before their Hogwarts education, so that they weren't totally clueless on how to write an essay. Mark, the boy in question, was a classmate of Albus'.

"You're not just friends with him; you have a thing for him, don't you?" Albus didn't respond. He told himself that he had no idea what James was talking about, but it didn't work. Mark was more than just a friend. Albus had found himself physically attracted to the boy, and it was a secret that he desperately didn't want anyone to know.

"So even if you are a squib, it wouldn't matter to you, because then you'd be able to go to school with Mark, your dream boyfriend…" James put a dreamy expression on his face and sighed over dramatically.

"Get out of my room, James." Albus growled.

"It's alright, Albus, I'll just tell Mum and Dad that you don't want to go to Hogwarts, because you'd rather be smooching your _boyfriend_!_"_

That made Albus snap. He spun around in anger and didn't bother saying anything, just flung at his brother, trying to punch him.

At first it took James by surprise, and he was thrown to the floor by an angry Albus. The two started to brawl and shout incomprehensibly at each other as they tried to pin each other.

Soon, James had recovered from his surprise and obtained the upper hand. He had one elbow pressed against Albus' chest, the other clenching a fistful of hair and keeping Albus' head on the floor.

For a moment they just stayed in the position, panting into the silence and glaring at each other venomously. Albus broke the silence by whispering viciously, "I am _not _attracted to Mark."

He pulled James' hand out from his hair and hissed in a louder voice, "I will _not _be sorted into Slytherin."

He pushed James off him and they both stood up off the floor. "And I _will _attend Hogwarts," Albus said even louder before shouting at the top of his voice, "because I am NOT a squib!"

At his shout, Albus' uncontrolled magic kicked in and threw James across the room and into his bedroom door, tearing it down in the process. James' flight continued for a good few metres along the hallway before his momentum ran out, but Albus didn't stop.

His desk and bedside table flew out of the room after James, and even a part of the wall, before finally there was a loud crack, and it appeared as if Albus had apparated away in a fit of anger.

There was a silence in the Potter household, and the two parents standing in the hallway, having come running upstairs once they heard the commotion, were silent and bore surprised yet amused expressions.

"Well, he got the squib bit right," Harry noted dryly as Ginny helped her son off the floor, hiding a smile. Somewhere in the background, James was certain he could hear Lilly giggling.

With a crack, Albus appeared out of nowhere and tumbled onto the grass. Slowly, he got up and looked around himself.

He was in the countryside. A few trees dotted the area, here and there, but that was about it. Other than that, there was nothing to tell Albus where on earth he was.

He stood still and continued to look at his surroundings. His anger had pretty much vanished, and now he just wanted to go back home.

He didn't panic though; the countryside always calmed him and made him feel relaxed. But he really did need to get home. He supposed just standing there wasn't doing to do anything, so he started to wander around.

Twenty minutes later, and Albus really is starting to panic. Suppose he doesn't find any sign of life out here, how was he going to get home?

"What are you doing here?" A voice behind Albus demanded, and relief flooded Albus' face. Only to be snapped back to worry. What if this person was a muggle?

Slowly, Albus turned around to see a pale boy with platinum blond hair. He looked about Albus' age, although he was a little shorter. "Um, just wandering. That's all."

They boy frowned. "How did you get here?"

Albus didn't know what to say to that. He didn't want to mention anything about being a wizard, in case this boy was a muggle. "I don't know. I was just wandering." Then it occurred to Albus that he might be trespassing. "Sorry, if I was intruding. I didn't know this area was, um, private."

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Don't lie to me. State your reasons for being here or I shall fetch my father."

Albus' eyes momentarily widened in surprise. That was a little rude. "I- I told you, I was just wandering and I ended up here."

The boy's glare intensified. "Father has set up the manor so that no muggle may even stumble across it, and no wizard may enter it without his permission. My father will have your head if you aren't careful."

While Albus was relieved that he was in a wizard's company rather than a muggle's, he was unsure whether to believe the threats about the boy's father. However, he didn't want to give the boy any reason to carry out his threats, or he'd have no chance of borrowing floo powder.

"I, erm, apparated here, by accident."

The boy looked confused for a second, before glaring at him again. "Lies! You don't look of age, how can you possible apparate?"

"I- I said, it was an accident!" The boy was still unbelieving. "My magic! I got in a fight with my brother and I couldn't control myself! I just apparated somewhere without even thinking about it, I don't even know where I am!"

The boy's gaze softened a little. "It was just an accident?" Albus nodded. "You don't know where you are?" Albus shook his head. "You don't know who I am?" Albus shook his head.

"Please, can you help me get home?" Albus pleaded. The boy seemed unsure whether to help him.

"You can floo home?" He finally asked. Albus nodded. "Alright, I'll lend you some floo powder, but we'll have to wait here for a bit, for Father to leave the house. If he sees a stranger, he really will have your head."

Now that the boy was no longer glaring, Albus noticed his deadly serious expression and was alarmed. When the boy saw his alarmed face, he smiled a little. "He's just a little paranoid about strangers. He trusts almost no one."

Now Albus was curious. "Why?"

The boy seemed uneasy about the question. "He has a lot of enemies." The answer only made Albus more curious, but he didn't seem to want to talk about it.

The boy sat on the grass, and after a moment Albus joined him. "I'm Albus, by the way."

The boy sent a sidelong glance at him. "Scorpius." Scorpius looked back at the grass, his face now blank.

It occurred to Albus, a couple of years later, that if they had exchanged surnames as well, they might never have had a friendship, as Albus' uncle had plenty of horrendous things to say about Malfoys, and he was sure Scorpius' father had told him his opinion about the Potters.

They stayed in a slightly awkward silence, and Albus distractedly pulled at the grass.

"Don't do that," Scorpius suddenly said, "you'll get dirty."

Albus looked at him. "I don't care." And he continued plucking the grass. He was left peace for little under ten seconds when Scorpius grabbed his hand.

"Well I do. Stop it."

Albus rolled his eyes. "A little dirt won't hurt you." As if to prove this, he sprinkled some on Scorpius' hand, who snatched it away as soon as the dirt made contact. Albus chuckled and pulled out more grass, throwing it over Scorpius' head.

Albus was sent into fits of laughter as he watched Scorpius madly trying to get all the dirt and grass out of his hair. He was so caught up in his laughter, he didn't noticed the clump of grass and dirt in Scorpius' hand until it had been smothered in his face.

This led to a little competition to see who could get the most amount of dirt on the other, but in the end they mutually decided to stop and just sat on the grass.

"So…" Albus started, slightly more at ease, "are you at Hogwarts?"

"I'm going this year. You?"

"So am I! That means we'll be in the same year!" Scorpius looked at him as if he were stupid. A look as if to say 'that much was obvious, you idiot'. They both laughed.

"So what house do you want to be in?" Albus asked.

"Slytherin." He replied.

"Oh." Albus was a little disappointed. "I want to be in Gryffindor." Scorpius didn't say anything.

"Well, you're pretty nice for a Slytherin. If what my brother has to say about Slytherins is true."

Scorpius looked incredulously at Albus. "You're brother is a dork. Just because I'm in Slytherin, doesn't mean I can't do nice things. Such typical Gryffindor assumptions."

Albus smiled a little. "My dad says that."

Scorpius rolled his eyes at him. "And I suppose your dad is a kind and caring Hufflepuff?"

Albus paused to stare at Scorpius before answering. "No, he was in Gryffindor."

Scorpius seemed surprised by that answer, before looking a little guilty for being a hypocrite. "Sorry. Gryffindors can be as kind as Hufflepuffs. My father once said he wanted to be in Gryffindor."

Albus looked sceptically at him. Presuming that Scorpius' father was a Slytherin, the fact that he wanted to be in Gryffindor, Slytherin's most rivalled house, seemed highly unlikely.

"He said that Gryffindors were really courageous, and he wanted more courage like them. He said something about wanting the Gryffindor courage in his last two years at Hogwarts."

Albus didn't know what to say, but was saved from an awkward silence by Scorpius continuing, "But Gryffindors are still pretty stupid. Like your brother."

They laughed. Albus had to agree with him. "My brother is probably the stupidest Gryffindor there is. You should have seen his face when I blasted him out of the room!"

"You blasted your brother out of your room?" With a grin, Albus told Scorpius how he had ended up here in the first place.

They shared a laugh before hearing the unmistakable sound of old gates creaking opening. "That'll be my father leaving. Come with me, I'll take you to a fireplace."

As they approached the mansion, Albus caught sight of cloak billowing away in the distance. The figure attached to that cloak looked ominous, to Albus anyway. "Your dad looks scary."

Scorpius chuckled. "He gives that impression. People generally do what he says, mainly because he's a pureblood. But just because he's a pureblood, doesn't mean he's better than the rest."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "You think that?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah. That's what my father says."

Albus smiled. "You're father sounds like mine. I wonder if they're friends."

"That depends if they know each other," Scorpius replied. "But I doubt it. Father's already invited every friend over, and that sums up to about two people."

"You're father doesn't have many friends?"

"He lost most of them in the Second Wizarding War and a lot of people don't like him, because they think he supported Voldemort. He gets death threats sometimes, so he's a bit paranoid when people enter his house."

"Did he?" Albus asked. "Did he support Voldemort?"

Scorpius shrugged. "He's never said anything."

* * *

"I guess we blossomed from there." Albus finished.

Harry nodded, deep in thought. "Does Scorpius still not know what his father did?"

"I don't think so." Albus replied. After a pause he asked, "What did his father do in the Second Wizarding War?"

Harry smiled. "Most people have forgotten about the people concerned in the Second Wizarding War, and forgotten about the things they've done, whether they were good or bad. I think it should stay that way."

Albus wasn't too disappointed, he'd asked his father questions like that many times before, and had never gotten an answer out of him.

As Albus stood to leave and return to the party, Harry suddenly said, "Like I told you, you're very privileged to be able to affectionately tease your brother, and he you. I wouldn't know the feeling."

Albus smiled at him and left, leaving him back to staring into the fire.

"What do you mean you don't know the feeling?" George asked indignantly, making Harry jump as he had forgotten he was there. Harry had no idea when he had woken up, or how much of Albus' story he had heard.

"Well, I've never had any siblings, so…"

"Harry, you're extended family, you can't get rid of me that easily."

Harry smiled at his joke, as did George, but he could tell that both of them didn't really feel it. So often had he smiled like that in the mirror in an attempt to cheer himself up after Ginny's death.

"But brothers and sisters share special bonds that I'll never know the feeling of, no matter how thoroughly glued onto the family tree I am."

George was silent for a moment. "Fred and I worked hard for you to know what that feeling is."

George didn't often talk about Fred and Harry was honoured that George should share something about Fred with him, as well as surprised that the joker he knew George to be could come up with something so touching.

"You didn't do a very good job at making it affectionate." He eventually replied.

"Git." He heard George say, and they laughed together. This time, Harry was pleased to note, both their smiles were very real.


End file.
